The Ending decyphered *BIG SPOILERS*

[el Chi]

Well actually, Breen surrended, as he was elected president of earth shortly before the combine invasion.

As far as I understand it Breen bargained with the Combine to be Administrator for Earth - as he had been for Black Mesa - during their invasion, and in exchange he would turn over Earth and work with them. I very much doubt he was elected.

I think there was also something about them harvesting the worlds resources, but their methods poisoned the atmosphere and were causing humans to die.. at some point they decided humans themselves were a valuable resource, so they stopped and the air apparently became breathable again. After this, it seems that the combine have been abducting people for whatever reasons (ref the woman in the train station - "our train was stopped in the forest, they took my husband, said he would be on the next train" or something similar), whilst using some kind of supression field to prevent humans from breeding. Why, im not sure, especially if they really can be used for something.

Well, it seems that the Combine are a combination of different races of beings and of technology. People weren't being harvested as such but turned into "Trans-Humans" I believe was Breen's phrase. A new breed to transcend normal humans, a step up in evolution worthy of joining the Combine; an intergalactic conglomerate of races. This is what Nova Prospekt had become, as well as the Citadel; a place to do the necessary surgery or tests, etc. I imagine they stopped people breeding to stop the spread of normal humans, sub-par compared to the Combine. If they abducted people it was either as general supression or to turn them into some Combine form or other.

As for ravenholm, well that was either infected by the Xen that came through one of the portals, or the Combine bombed the area with those rockets containing headcrabs.. presumably they want to keep the humans contained, and use these Xen aliens as a method of discouraging people from leaving the cities, and for supressing the resistance.

Yeah, I think you're right here - make everywhere else uninhabitable so people are forced to live in the designated cities and they're right where the Combine want them.

 

[fantasiser]

The first game was definately not a test for Doctor Freeman, if you remember, you arent actually working for anyone until at the very end of HL1 the Gman offers you a job. So your actions at Black Mesa probably made an impression on someone and they wanted to hire you. The way they say you are a pawn hints that you dont have any say in the way things go, thats everything has been planned that way the whole time, that you are just fulfilling your part in a much larger picture

 

[NiteX]

Second, have you listened closely when the G-man is talking? Listen to how labored his breathing is. I think it's entirely possible that the G-man has some sort of disease, and is running his mercenary business to get funds in hope of finding a cure for his disease. This disease could be anything. A cancer of some kind... But I think his disease is more closely linked to his origin. Perhaps those who live outside of TIME can become sick by comming into contact with it. OR, maybe his host body (assuming he is an alien) is sick with a human illness, one that his species has never delt with before.

Maybe I'm just mentally masturbating here, but I think that these are really good ideas and I want more feedback. The discussion must continue!

Haha! Actually if you have the little prima hint book and read about the g-man it states that he sounds like he has trouble talking in human speech, here is what is says word for word "He has a gravelly, mocking voice that tends to put emphasis and inflection in odd places-a voice that speeds up and slows down unpredictably, as if he is not quite comfortable with human speech." There you go not quite sure but I really think the G-man is very far from human.

 

[Naudian]

Well, it seems that the Combine are a combination of different races of beings and of technology. People weren't being harvested as such but turned into "Trans-Humans" I believe was Breen's phrase. A new breed to transcend normal humans, a step up in evolution worthy of joining the Combine; an intergalactic conglomerate of races. This is what Nova Prospekt had become, as well as the Citadel; a place to do the necessary surgery or tests, etc. I imagine they stopped people breeding to stop the spread of normal humans, sub-par compared to the Combine. If they abducted people it was either as general supression or to turn them into some Combine form or other.

Could the combine just be a combo of human and machine? And have nothing to do with aliens?
I found a pic sprayed on a wall

 

[poo poo head]

The combine are odd, if anyone looked at one of the monitors in nova prospekt, you can see a combine in a bed, and he had no shirt or mask. It had a pale body, and wierd holes throughout their arms and chest and neck.

 

[NiteX]

Yeah I have a pic of them in the little prima hint book. They are somewhat human and somewhat something else they look very weird.

 

[poo poo head]

I have a pic of the combine undressed.

 

[Ebola]

They all seemed pretty surprised to see you. Everyone.

Hmm...that's why when you first arrive, you're told that you've been expected?

 

[Naudian]

I have a pic of the combine undressed.

Are you sure thats a combine?
Guess it couldnt really be anything else but still, thats pretty weird looking.

 

[werewolves?]

yeah its one of the human overwatch members being fully modified to become transhuman. Well technically when you join the overwatch you have become part of the combine.

 

[Dem0nEgg]

I think the overwatch soldiers are indeed, humans who have been processed to be more useful to the combine - in places like nova prospekt.
I think they have, amongst many other things, been adapted to the environment of wherever the hell the combine are from. This is why among many other reasons (To hide their new forms, and to look more sinister) they wear these masks. Look at the spray paint on the wall showing these "stages of evolution"... the mask I believe is needed to breathe on Earth... because they are now not adapted to the atmosphere of their own planet.

Inside the Citadel you see what may be unmasked trans-humans. Maybe inside the Citadel they can breathe... ins't the citadel pumping out something? look at all the strange piping you see...

In that cut scene, wasn't Eli saying something about it getting harder to breathe for the humans? The Citadels are pumping something out, and all of Earth's natural resources may not be being stripped... but CONVERTED. The Earth is most likely being Terraformed.... I say "Terraformed" which means to make like Terra... ie: Earth. But in this instance... I mean the Combine are making Earth like their own Homeworld.

 

[skel]

what if the combine is a combination of people like breen from various planets. and the fat slug thing is just one example.

just at thought, could just as asily be proved wrong.

 

[Varsity]

Yeah, I think you're right here - make everywhere else uninhabitable so people are forced to live in the designated cities and they're right where the Combine want them.

http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showthread.php?t=54089

 

[Foxtrot]

From the leaked alpha there were assasins(who acted just like the ones from half-life) who looked like those things in the citadel.

 

[Rhalle]

In that cut scene, wasn't Eli saying something about it getting harder to breathe for the humans? The Citadels are pumping something out, and all of Earth's natural resources may not be being stripped... but CONVERTED. The Earth is most likely being Terraformed.... I say "Terraformed" which means to make like Terra... ie: Earth. But in this instance... I mean the Combine are making Earth like their own Homeworld.

That escaped me. But maybe that's right. (The Citadel eats the city for resources, in order to make more vehicles and stuff.) The first part, however, is news to me, but sounds plausible.


The Combine are like the larvae-looking guy Breen is talking to.

They take over other planets, their species and races, and 'trans' them (change them so they can use them, putting their organic parts under their control, and addind biomech parts) in order to subdue that planet, and then use those forces to take over other planets.

All the humanoid enemies in HL2 are humans that have been altered, to different degrees, in Nova Prospekt and in the Citadel.

The gunships and striders are Xen aliens trans-ed and used on earth.

 

[Smigit]

As for the mentioning of the gravity gun before, the reason it was not "confiscated" I have come to beleive is that the "confiscator" was only programed for recognized weapons. Stuff that normal people use. Now the gravity gun is a rare item and there is only one. So I presume that the "confiscator" could not recognize it. Therefore could not pick it up. The "confiscators" attempts to pick it up with its electricity is what I beleive made it the SUPER GRAVITY GUN

*I will begin work on my second half of my theories*

Perhsps it could be magnetic interference of some sort ^_^

 

[Hummerluver58]

thats what I presumed

 

[baron insig]

i reckon you go end up going back in time as gordon to save alyx eli and mossman!! ( the bitch did the right thing at then end )
and watch the explosion and come in at the last second shoot gman and whisk away alx leaving old gordon behind cos hell u want alyx to yourself and save her!! yay

although that would have to be the start of the story cos it would suck if it was just replaying the game and basically know the ending before it even came

 

[Hummerluver58]

Part 3 of my theories

About Antlions.

I think there is a simple explination to these things. Despite not looking very Xen-Like (the only Xen alien to have long claws like that are the head crabs, and they are small) I do beleive they came from Xen. I think they are used a somthing of a measure to keep things in (and out) of Nova Prospek. Like some kind of watch dog. Thats the reason for those big machines they have along the beach, as some kind of Ant Lion supression device used to protect the Guards.

As for the Striders and Gunships.

To me it is obvious that these things are atleast Semi-living. After all I don't think any machine could bend the way that the gunships do. Again they do not look to Xen Like to me. If they were from Xen wouldn't they just use those cloak shaped fighters from the original Half Life? About the Striders. These things are definitly insectoid. If you look at their legs when they die you will find little hairs. Similar to those found on mosquito legs. This brought me to the conclusion that they are not from Xen. Since most if not all of the Xen creatures do not look like insects.

This has led me to beleive that there is another faction of aliens that are controlled by the combine. Some kind of new race. Perhaps the actual combine race or perhaps some of the species that they conquered. So I have grouped the aliens into two different species. The Xen aliens (head crabs, barnacles, hound eyes, etc.) and the Alien Species X (Antlions, striders, and possibly Gunships). While the antlions and striders go hand-in-had with being insectoid I beleived that the gunships seemed less Xen like and more like the aliens from Alien Species X.

I am off to play some parts of half life 2

 

[Venmoch]

Could the possibly be the same Race X as in Opposing Force??/

(Probably Not) Although I do remember someone saying Race X took advantage of the Xen portal opening to invade Black Mesa. Coincidence? Possibly....

 

[DevgruSeal]

I think somebody should use noclip, and follow the G-Man and see where he goes, when you find him sporadically around the game...See if he "writes something down" in some kind of way...

 

[general griffin]

I have just finished playing this masterpiece and have noticed you guys have missed something.

When you are in Eli and ALyx's base before you meet Dog check out a picture on the wall. Notice the picture of all the scientists. One of them is the G-Man. It seems he was working with the physicists when the black mesa accident occured as a scientist.

anyone got any theories on that?

 

[Farrowlesparrow]

Well, it seems that the Combine are a combination of different races of beings and of technology. People weren't being harvested as such but turned into "Trans-Humans" I believe was Breen's phrase. A new breed to transcend normal humans, a step up in evolution worthy of joining the Combine; an intergalactic conglomerate of races. This is what Nova Prospekt had become, as well as the Citadel; a place to do the necessary surgery or tests, etc. I imagine they stopped people breeding to stop the spread of normal humans, sub-par compared to the Combine. If they abducted people it was either as general supression or to turn them into some Combine form or other.

For that sake of this post I will use benefactors and combine in different ways. Combine is the overall group, and benefactors are the original "combine".

I think its more a case of the benefactors utilising other races for their needs. They enslave them, and put them to work rather than integrating them into their "society" or conglomerate. After all the striders and manatee(can't remember the proper name ) flying ships were actually aliens that had been altered and used to fight for the combine. Combine soldiers are the same in that they are changed to become better fighting units. I think this again is similar with Xen. The alien grunts if you notice, are grown in the big factories and I think its just like on earth int he citadel and Nova Prospekt. Alien slaves are adapted somehow, to be made into the grunts and in fact controllers and gargantuas as well.

 

[we11er]

I have just finished playing this masterpiece and have noticed you guys have missed something.

When you are in Eli and ALyx's base before you meet Dog check out a picture on the wall. Notice the picture of all the scientists. One of them is the G-Man. It seems he was working with the physicists when the black mesa accident occured as a scientist.

anyone got any theories on that?

*sigh*

Go play the original. That is not the G-man, it is one of the scientists from the original.

 

[Is This Tea]

I’ve noticed some erroneous debates about the nature of the Civil Protection and the Stalkers. Some are claiming that they are not humans but I found that City 17 citizens have said otherwise.
In Point Insertion I talked to someone standing in the food line who said, “I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to join civil protection just to get a decent meal.”
Also during Follow Freeman or Anti Citizen One (can’t remember which) one of my squad members when prompted by the use key said, “They’ll never turn me into a stalker.”
I think that is pretty solid evidence that the Transhuman branch of the sector 17 overwatch were at one time human… as if the name didn’t already say enough.

On another note most people here seem to not realize that the word Transhuman has been around for some time now…
According to Wiciapedia the term 'transhumanism' was coined by Julian Huxley in 1957, though his definition differs substantially from the one commonly in use since the 1980s. Transhumanism was given its modern definition and characterization by philosopher Dr. Max More: "Transhumanism is a class of philosophies that seek to guide us towards a posthuman condition. Transhumanism shares many elements of humanism, including a respect for reason and science, a commitment to progress, and a valuing of human (or transhuman) existence in this life. Transhumanism differs from humanism in recognizing and anticipating the radical alterations in the nature and possibilities of our lives resulting from various sciences and technologies”
http://www.transhumanism.org/index.php/WTA/index/

This line of speculation is obviously where valve drew some inspiration from.

Oh, and something else I haven’t seen anyone else bring up… During Nova Prospect, the female voice that gives instructions to the combine states, “A reminder. Mission failure will result in permanent off world assignment.”
Thats something more thing to ponder.

 

[Foxtrot]

I’ve noticed some erroneous debates about the nature of the Civil Protection and the Stalkers. Some are claiming that they are not humans but I found that City 17 citizens have said otherwise.
In Point Insertion I talked to someone standing in the food line who said, “I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to join civil protection just to get a decent meal.”
Also during Follow Freeman or Anti Citizen One (can’t remember which) one of my squad members when prompted by the use key said, “They’ll never turn me into a stalker.”
I think that is pretty solid evidence that the Transhuman branch of the sector 17 overwatch were at one time human… as if the name didn’t already say enough.

On another note most people here seem to not realize that the word Transhuman has been around for some time now…
According to Wiciapedia the term 'transhumanism' was coined by Julian Huxley in 1957, though his definition differs substantially from the one commonly in use since the 1980s. Transhumanism was given its modern definition and characterization by philosopher Dr. Max More: "Transhumanism is a class of philosophies that seek to guide us towards a posthuman condition. Transhumanism shares many elements of humanism, including a respect for reason and science, a commitment to progress, and a valuing of human (or transhuman) existence in this life. Transhumanism differs from humanism in recognizing and anticipating the radical alterations in the nature and possibilities of our lives resulting from various sciences and technologies”
http://www.transhumanism.org/index.php/WTA/index/

This line of speculation is obviously where valve drew some inspiration from.

Oh, and something else I haven’t seen anyone else bring up… During Nova Prospect, the female voice that gives instructions to the combine states, “A reminder. Mission failure will result in permanent off world assignment.”
Thats something more thing to ponder.

I heard the off world assignment thing too, that sounds interesting...proves a few points too.

 

[Crusmang]

I was going to make the same reply to the post that said that CP soliders aren't human, but you beat me to it! Nice 1 Fox.

I also think you are really on to something here. HL3: Gorden strikes at the Combine homeworld? Perhaps you are integrated as a combine soldier in HL3, much like how you were placed as a worker in HL2!!! Oh snap =P

 

[Is This Tea]

I was going to make the same reply to the post that said that CP soliders aren't human, but you beat me to it! Nice 1 Fox.

I also think you are really on to something here. HL3: Gorden strikes at the Combine homeworld? Perhaps you are integrated as a combine soldier in HL3, much like how you were placed as a worker in HL2!!! Oh snap =P

Actually I said that they ARE human… but I know I’m an awkward writer. My apologies for being confusing.

Another plot point that I haven’t seen discussed… In the end of HL1, when the gman is giving his monologue, one of the places he transports you too on xen shows some human equipment wrecked there. Any theories on that?

 

[Is This Tea]

I guess I should also mention that this is when he says that xen is under “our” control for the time being. A statement like that would tend to make me think that the he is definitely on the same side as humanity. However, who knows? Perhaps because all of the human forces he shows us are crushed it could be taken to mean the opposite.

 

[MFL]

Note: I have, as of yet, not completly thought through my ideas, but if I don't type them I will lose them.

I think that one of the driving factors behind this... struggle, is a
need, by the various sides involved, for technology and space. At the end of HL1, the gman tells you that "they" have Xen under their control.
At first, I thought the gman was implying that Xen was under human control, based on the human machinery found layed to waste in one of the locations of Xen. This is now obvious to me to be out of the question. I believe the gman represents another faction entirely.
I do not think that Xen was under the control of the Combine (or the Benefactors) at any time. All of the Combine teleportation abilities have been technological, whereas the Xen aliens had a natural ability to teleport.
Another thought just occured to me. Xen might have been under the control of the Combine, and they figured out how the Xen alien teleportion ability worked, whereupon they developed teleportation technology based off the aliens latent abilities. Still, this does not explain how the Combine first encountered the aliens. Maybe the aliens encountered the combine, having accidentaly teleported to the Combine's universe. Then how would Gordon not have encountered any of the Combine during his trip to Xen. Of course, the Combine we saw in
HL2 might have looked very different in HL1. How would we even recognize the Combine ten years ago? Maybe the things we saw in Xen was Combine technology. Probably not.
As I was saying, I think the gman represents a different faction. Remember how we saw him in the beginning of HL1? Maybe the gman supplied the "purest sample" that opened the portal to Xen. This would imply that whoever that other faction is actually meant the portal to Xen to open! As we all know (maybe), the act of the portal opening started off this whole series of events. I think that the real antagonist of the Half Life series is whoever or whatever this seperate faction is, because I do NOT like being led along a path not of my choosing. I like it even less if my WHOLE SPECIES is led along a path that suited the whim of... well... i guess we'll find out later.

 

[porus]

maybe Earth isnt the only place the combine have taken over--maybe its the only left that there is still resistence?

 

[Is This Tea]

Then how would Gordon not have encountered any of the Combine during his trip to Xen?

I didn’t encounter any combine on my trek through city 17... Only humans doing the combine's bidding... It’s not out of the realm of possibilities that the same was true of Xen. Well I guess that technically the striders might be considered from the same world as the combine… you get my point though.

 

[Bing_Oh]

I do not think that Xen was under the control of the Combine (or the Benefactors) at any time. All of the Combine teleportation abilities have been technological, whereas the Xen aliens had a natural ability to teleport.

When did you ever see a Xen alien teleport naturally? The Xen aliens appearing on Earth during HL could have been, 1. Teleported by Nihilanth, and BIO-MECHANCIALLY ENHANCED Xen alien, or 2. Pulled through accidently because of the Resonance Cascade.

 

[Qhartb]

Hey I just noticed something about Breen's knowledge of the GMan.

Spoiler

From the Breencast in Nova Prospekt:
"Gordan Freeman is a theoretical physicist who had hardly earned the distinction of his Ph.D. at the time of the Black Mesa incident. I have good reason to believe that in the intervening years he was in a state that precluded further development of covert skills."

This adds to his "highest bidder" comment at the end. He knows who you are, and possibly how the G-Man is using you.

 

[Asknoone]

Another plot point that I haven’t seen discussed… In the end of HL1, when the gman is giving his monologue, one of the places he transports you too on xen shows some human equipment wrecked there. Any theories on that?

Yes, thats the continium. Its where the dimensions intersect and thats why they are all lying dead there because the very place they are is lost between the dimensions...its as simple as that.

And yes combien soldiers are augmented humans with combine tech...but the actual combine are aliens

 

[Alias1431]

Hey I just noticed something about Breen's knowledge of the GMan.

Spoiler

From the Breencast in Nova Prospekt:
"Gordan Freeman is a theoretical physicist who had hardly earned the distinction of his Ph.D. at the time of the Black Mesa incident. I have good reason to believe that in the intervening years he was in a state that precluded further development of covert skills."

This adds to his "highest bidder" comment at the end. He knows who you are, and possibly how the G-Man is using you.

lol, its a liitle too late in this tread to start using hidden text

 

[Prone]

Interesting read, took me ages but well worth it. I like the idea of turning all humans into something different, thus banning reproduction of the human species.

Two questions:

1. Any theories about the grafitti that is on a lot of walls, the one with a soldier holding a baby? It's giving me shivers but maybe someone can clear it up?

2. Also: who is the person that is sprayed on the wall with RESIST under it?

Thanks,
P

 

[mrlangenakker]

looks alot like breen, the poster with resist on it

 

[Prone]

But that would make no sense, would it?

 

[mrlangenakker]

it would since the resistence is against breen, seems logical to put posters to semi-open resist to not get caught yoet get the point across